The Best Cheesy Potato Soup With Bacon

People go crazy for this cheesy potato soup when I serve it with all kinds of delicious toppings and dunkable dippers. So, if you're looking for the ultimate comfort food, we've got you covered with this easy soup recipe.

Bonus: We'll share with you one of our favorite go-to secret flavor-boosting ingredients that you'll love and want to use all the time.

Reader Comment: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “This was literally amazing. The taste was incredible, I loved it!” ~Luca

This recipe has all the delicious, satisfying, comfort food flavors of potatoes and bacon. It is so good with some homemade crostini, garlic breadsticks, or focaccia. This easy recipe has it all!

Looking for more tasty soup recipes? Don't miss our delicious Pasta e Fagioli, Instant Pot Chicken Soup, Beef and Cabbage Soup, Best Ham and Bean Soup, or Homemade Chicken Soup.

Secret to this Recipe

Secret to this Recipe...are you ready for it? The secret flavor-boosting ingredient is Chihuahua cheese! Queso Chihuahua, or Chihuahua cheese, is a mild, beautifully flavored, Mexican melting cheese. It is our go-to melting cheese for party dips, quesadillas, eggs and tortillas, and so many other tasty recipes.

Chihuahua cheese is similar to mozzarella, but a little bolder in taste. It's perfect in this recipe because it has the best flavor, and yet is not as sharp as cheddar, which would overshadow the balance of flavors.

Here's What You Need

All you need are a few simple ingredients you can get at any grocery store to make this recipe.

• bacon - This recipe calls for ½ pound of bacon. But we usually make the entire pound into crispy bacon bits. You can never really have enough bacon, can you?
• potatoes - Any kind of potato will work. We use Yukon gold potatoes in this recipe because of their creamy texture and they hold up well in soup recipes. Russet potatoes or Red potatoes are also a good option.
• chicken broth - Use chicken broth or chicken stock in a can. But you can always use any tasty chicken broth you prefer or substitute in chicken bouillon cubes and a few cups of water instead. Either will work just fine.
  May substitute vegetable broth.
• cheese - For best results, hand grate the cheese because it melts better. Shredded cheeses sometimes have been dusted with a substance that prevents them from melting smoothly. However, pre-shredded cheese will work.
  Variation: Make Cheddar Potato Soup by substituting sharp cheddar cheese.

See the recipe card below for the full recipe with the ingredient quantities.

How to Make It

A flavorful soup, like any good recipe, is built in layers; each layer building upon and enhancing the flavor of the previous layer. At each layer, you are tasting and adjusting the seasonings as you go along until the recipe is finished with all the flavors having been married together into the perfect combination.

Four Layers of Flavor

Building the Flavor Base

1. Fry the Bacon. Bacon is the flavor base upon which the entire soup is built. Cut half a pound of bacon into half-inch strips and fry them into crispy bacon bits.
   
   Fry Bacon in a heavy-bottomed soup pot or dutch oven on medium heat, until bacon bits are crispy.
   
   Remove the bacon bits from the pot using a slotted spoon and place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain. Set aside to use as a topping when serving.
   
   At this point, you can, if you choose, drain the bacon fat. Otherwise, leave it and the extra flavor in the pan like we do!

2. Sauté Vegetables. Using medium heat, sauté the diced onion, carrots, and celery in the bacon fat. Here you are cooking all that beautiful savory bacon flavor into the vegetables.
   
   Adjust your seasonings with a sprinkle or two of salt and continue to sauté the vegetables for a few more minutes.

3. Potatoes. Next, add the diced potatoes stirring them in with the vegetables until they have softened but are not quite tender.
   
   Adjust your seasonings again by adding a few more sprinkles of salt. This time add in the black pepper and red pepper. Thereby enhancing the depth of your flavor base even more.

4. Broth and Simmer. Add the chicken broth and bring it to a slow boil. Once it starts bubbling, lower the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender.
   
   Test for tenderness by using a slotted spoon to fish out a few pieces of potato. Poke a knife into the potato and if it slides right in without resistance, the potatoes are tender. If there is a little resistance, give it a little longer to simmer, and then retest.

Thickening and Blending

5. Thickening with a Slurry. Whisk together milk and flour. Pour the mixture into the pot while stirring slowly.
   
   Turn the heat back up to medium and bring it back up to a low boil. Once it starts to bubble, lower the heat once again and simmer for 5 minutes.
   
   The slurry needs to reach a low boil and return to simmer in order to thicken the soup and cook out the taste of the flour.

6. Blend To Desired Consistency. Turn off the heat and use an immersion blender or potato masher to blend it, leaving some chunky potatoes, or blend it into a fully pureed soup.
   
   Alternate Method: Let it cool and use a countertop blender to puree, then transfer it back to the pot and reheat.

Finishing with Cheese and Cream

7. Add Cheese and Cream. Turn off the heat and stir in shredded cheese and heavy cream.

8. Serve. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Topping and Serving

• Toppings: Serve topped with crispy bacon bits, some extra cheese, a dollop of sour cream, and green onions. Think of your favorite toppings for a loaded baked potato!
  
• Dippers: This creamy, cheesy potato soup is perfectly dunkable with dippers like homemade garlic breadsticks, crostini, or a hunk of French baguette. Or how about dipping the corner edge of a grilled cheese sandwich in there? Yum!!

Top Tips

• Cut vegetables in uniform pieces to ensure even cooking.
• Use a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven and cook it on the stovetop where evaporation can occur which will enhance flavor development and help it to thicken.
• Adjust seasonings at every stage of the cooking process to build a depth of flavor that you cannot get if all your seasonings are added all at once. Added too early, the pepper will overpower. Salt only at the start of your recipe and the saltiness will get lost and you'll end up needing to add more later.
• Keep the heat down low while simmering so that it is not scorched.
• Adjust the thickness of the soup before adding heavy cream and any garnishes.
• Thicken it by pureeing it all or in part. The easiest way is to use an immersion blender. But you can also use a countertop blender or potato masher.
• Strain it for an extra smooth and creamy soup.

Tasty Add-Ins

Spice it up! Some like it hot! Here are some tasty add-in options:

• hot sauce - Add a few drops of your favorite hot sauce, like Tabasco, Frank's Red Hot, Sriracha.
• pepper flakes - Red pepper flakes, Thai red chili flakes, peperoncino
• hot salsa - Homemade or store-bought.

Sides to Serve with Potato Soup

Here are some great sides:

Garden Salad - Try our Copycat Panera Greek Salad. Fresh, light flavors to balance your meal.
Grilled Cheese Sandwich
Roast Beef Sandwich - A great combination.
Garlic Breadsticks - A dunkable favorite.
Crostini - Little Italian toasts.
French Bread - A classic pairing.

Recipe FAQs

Meal Prep and Storage Suggestions

It is great for meal prep! Easily stored, frozen, and reheated for easy weeknight dinners.

Storage Tip: This recipe can be safely stored in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. It also freezes well for 2-6 months in an airtight container like these handy food storage containers.